Smoked duck poke at Ola Poke Gangnam, a Gangnam poke restaurant

Lately I've been trying to eat a bit more mindfully again, and poke has become one of my go-to meals. When I want rice and protein but don't want to feel too heavy, nothing beats a poke bowl.

I already visit Ola Poke fairly often at other branches! This time I had errands in Gangnam, so I stopped by Ola Poke Gangnam for the first time.

Why Ola Poke beats other poke restaurants in Gangnam

There's a reason I choose Ola Poke over other poke restaurants more often — the main topping matters, sure, but I personally love that the furikake, base toppings, and the base itself all taste good on their own.

When I've tried poke elsewhere, the main topping is fine but the rice or base toppings underneath are bland, so you end up dumping in a ton of sauce. But at Ola Poke, the base itself already tastes good, so even without much sauce everything comes together nicely — that's why I keep coming back.

And the sauces are varied too, with a recommended sauce assigned to each menu item, which I really loved! On this visit at the Gangnam branch I ordered two menu items.

Smoked duck poke, eaten in-store at Ola Poke Gangnam

First up was the Smoked Duck Poke! I ate the smoked duck right there at Ola Poke Gangnam.

A friend I work with orders smoked duck at Ola Poke pretty often, so I got curious and tried it myself! The bowl came with the base toppings mixed in, which made it easy to eat alongside the vegetables, and once again I went with the recommended sauce without hesitation.

Eating the savory, salty smoked duck together with the base toppings and rice was way more filling than I expected! Especially these days when eating too little while dieting just makes you crave snacks later — poke as a full meal doesn't feel like 'dieting food' and fills you up so much that I keep reaching for it.

Custom poke with a steak topping: why takeout costs less

Second was the Custom Poke + Steak Topping. I ordered a custom poke with steak added as a topping, and this one I took to go.

I'd seen this trick on a blog somewhere haha. Steak as a main topping felt like a bit much... but when you just want a poke, adding it as a topping on a custom poke gives you a nicer portion and a slightly lower price too!

Again I went with the recommended sauce. Since I ate this one takeout instead of in-store like the smoked duck poke, it had a different feel even though it was the same restaurant. Still, because the base itself is tasty, it didn't turn bland after being packed to go and was still delicious haha. It made for an easy, filling meal!

What comes in the standard toppings and the protein nutrition table

Having tried a lot of poke restaurants, one reason I keep coming back to Ola Poke is that the base itself tastes good. In particular, the furikake means the rice is already seasoned even on its own, and the variety of base toppings gives a range of textures alongside the main topping.

• Base toppings: red onion, corn, pickles, pineapple, seaweed, lentils, chickpeas, furikake, etc.
• Extra toppings: steak, smoked duck, etc.
• Main toppings I often order: Super Protein, salmon

So I also like being able to pick whatever protein or topping I feel like that day! I mostly go for Super Protein or salmon, but honestly any of the main toppings seem good.

Something I personally liked was that a separate protein nutrition table is listed. These days while dieting, I'm not just looking at calories but also checking how much protein I've eaten.

Since I'm working out too, being able to check how much protein I got in a single meal makes it much easier to manage my diet overall. If you think of poke as 'just a salad,' you can get hungry quickly, but checking the protein content like this makes it work well as a full meal.

Seating and solo-diner phone stands at Ola Poke Gangnam

Visiting Ola Poke Gangnam for the first time, I noticed it has quite a few more tables than other branches. Poke and salad are often eaten solo, and the Gangnam branch felt comfortable for eating alone without any awkwardness.

What I personally found the most thoughtful touch was the phone stand for solo diners. When eating alone, people often prop their phone against a cup or something on the table haha.

But here there's an actual stand to hold your phone, which made it convenient to watch videos or content while eating alone. It's a small detail, but for a solo diner it felt genuinely useful.

Ola Poke Gangnam also offers takeout, so it seems like a good spot for office workers' lunch or a quick, simple meal. They also had various payment methods for the workers nearby, like BPay, Zero Pay, and meal vouchers!

Why poke works as a meal when you are eating clean

Rather than simply cutting portions like I used to, my goal now is to balance carbs, vegetables, and protein reasonably well in each meal. In that sense, poke is a menu I choose quite often while dieting.

It's not like skipping rice entirely, I can choose the protein topping I want, and I get vegetables along with it. Especially since Ola Poke's base itself tastes good, it doesn't feel like 'eating salad because I'm dieting and have no choice' — it feels more like just enjoying a tasty meal, which is why I keep coming back.

If you're looking for a poke or salad lunch spot near Gangnam Station, or if you're watching your diet like me but don't want a boring meal, I'd recommend Ola Poke Gangnam!